What is HTTP in all the web site URL and web page addresses you see everywhere nowadays? Here is a definition of HTTP.
HTTP Explained: Just like people communicate with each other following certain procedures and protocols, HTTP is the protocol between the client (your computer and web browser) and the server (web server serving web pages and other resources).
So what does HTTP stand for anyway?
HTTP stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol. It’s what browsers and web servers rely on for exchanging data so that you can surf the web, search The Google and browse web pages. Developed by W3C and IETF in the last few years of the last century, it’s part of a bigger protocol family created to support the Internet. HTTP’s responsibility is the World Wide Web or WWW.
By HTTP definition and usage, it’s fundamentally an information exchanging procedure standard between 2 communicating parties, such as the client and the server. While you type a URL web address in the web browser and hit enter, the browser will have to know the protocol to use in fetching the remote resource such as a web page or a picture. Failing to do so, as we most of the time would do without the http:// part, the browser will assume HTTP by default and prepend it to the URL address.
What does HTTP mean in a web address URL?
A web address representing an access point on the web almost always start with http://, immediately followed by the web page address such as in this one:
http://www.google.com/
This is the root web site address of Google. And browsing to it, the server located there would serve up the home page of them. This is all beyond the meaning of HTTP however, but what this basically means is that, a web address consists of 2 basic parts:
- Protocol
- Address
To understand HTTP and HTTP’s meaning, imagine your need to talk to someone. You will have to get his physical address and then you need to know the language he speaks (or any other possible routines you are expected to follow in order to talk to him instead of being rejected by him). And the role of language here is what the protocol of HTTP is playing.
Why is HTTP important?
HTTP as a protocol is just part of a bigger protocol family that has been developed to make the whole Internet possible. Every second, billions of computers are communicating and exchanging data across the gigantic network, however, physically limited telecommunication facilities make it necessary to have rules.
Just like a huge metropolis with millions of cars. Wouldn’t it be a total mess should there be no traffic rules and regulations? It’s the same with the Internet. Without protocols like HTTP, it’d be a nightmare and all of this will be completely impossible.
That said, not only HTTP is indispensable for the Internet and WWW, all other protocols are as important in Internet communications.
What is HTTPS and what does HTTPS stand for?
HTTPS stands for HyperText Transfer Protocol Secure and is a secure version of HTTP. It’s basically an encrypted HTTP channel that makes transferring of confidential information more securely.
Does HTTP have peers or sisters?
Definitely. And FTP is one of them. You may have seen URL addresses similar to this:
ftp://ftp.xxxxx.com
With a ftp:// preceding, browsers would know it’s the FTP protocol it needs to initiate the download.
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